The present invention relates in general to vending machines and is concerned, more particularly, with a new and improved coin control assembly for vending machines which enables the owner of the machine to alter the amount of money required to activate the dispensing assembly of the machine. The concepts of the present invention are set forth in the following detailed description as they apply to a hot coffee vending machine. However, it is to be understood that the concepts of the invention have much wider use and are applicable to virtually any type of a coin operated machine. In the embodiment disclosed hereinafter the machine uses two coins, a nickel and/or a dime to provide different total vends of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 cents.
At the present time most of the vending control devices used on small vending machines cannot be altered so as to change the vending price of the machine without either replacing the entire vending control mechanism with another one set for the new price or modifying the old mechanism by the addition of or replacement of a substantial portion of the mechanism. This is both costly and inconvenient to the owner, and the change requires the services of a skilled serviceman. Until the actual change in the vending control device is effected, the vending price cannot reflect the increased cost of the materials dispensed by the machine. In the particular machine described in the following description, it will be appreciated that the vending price must reflect fluctuations in the price of coffee. A machine which cannot readily be altered so as to reflect that change is seriously deficient. Machines of this type are frequently used in office coffee programs where cost and size limitations prohibit the use of large sophisticated vending units used in commercial establishments. It is very desirable, if not absolutely necessary, that the vending control device be capable of reflecting, for the people participating in the program, the fluctuations in coffee prices, and the changes must be capable of being made immediately, with no special costs or skills imposed upon the program or its participants.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a vending control device which may be altered so as to reflect different vending prices without replacing the vending control device, adding new mechanisms, or modifying the existing mechanism.
Another important object of this invention is to provide a vending control device which may be altered so as to reflect change in vending prices by an untrained attendant without special skills.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a vending control device for use in small vending machines, which may be modified to change the vending price for the goods without the purchase and installation of stepping relays or similar devices that are now required to extend the price range of such vending control units.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a device for use in small vending machines that easily enables one to alter the price charged for the vended product and which operates on either 5.cent. or 10.cent. pieces permitting price charges of 5-30.cent. in 5.cent. increments.
To accomplish these and other objects, the vending control device of this invention includes separate coin slots for coins of each denomination. In the illustrated embodiment nickel and dime slots are used. However, it is understood that the principles of the invention may be applied to machines receiving any number of different denomination coins. A timer motor which controls the dispensing operation carries three cams, two of which control switches connected in separate parallel circuits in turn controlled by coin switches in the separate coin slots. A bypass circuit connected in series with the timer motor for bypassing one of the parallel circuits is manually set to reflect the vending price required. Additional manually operated switches are provided to block the separate coin chutes when any of them are not required to actuate the vending control devices.
These and other objects and features of the invention will be better understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of one embodiment thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings.